Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Mount Dobson, near Lake Tekapo, alt. 7500 ft." Type: K, J. Haast, 1862.

Stock very stout, woody, multicipital, giving rise to close-set rosettes up to 15 cm. diam., the whole plant sts forming a cushionlike mass up to 6 dm. diam.; taproot up to c. 2 cm. diam., deeply descending. Lf-sheaths ± 5 cm. × 15 mm., thick, rigid; margins cartilaginous. Stipules ± 2 cm. long, c. 3 mm. wide at base, tapering to a hard mucro. Lamina rigid, coriac., slightly > stipules, with spinose apex. Stems stout. grooved, up to c. 3 dm. tall including the subcapitate infl. Primary rays 4-5, short, stout; umbels and umbellules crowded; bract-sheaths up to 4 × 2 cm., with stipules and lamina up to 5 cm. long and 9 mm. wide at base. Fr. narrow-oblong, up to 3·5 mm. long; mericarps 4-5-winged.

DIST .: S. Higher montane to subalpine, mainly along crests of ridges from c. lat. 43º 30' to 45° 30'.

The infl., fls and frs are still very imperfectly known. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 671) says "seldom seen in flower or fruit." The type sheet at K has 2 good female plants with lvs c. 10 cm. long,. flowering stem ± 15 cm. × 5 mm. to infl.